You guys don't know how much you mean to me

I'm not somebody who regularly posts here or anywhere else. I'm mostly an observer who occasionally lurks. But I just wanted to brush the dust off my old Chambers account to tell you this: <br><br>I've been lonely for quite some time now. And even when I was young and still in school, I was never really popular, never had more than three people I could really call my closest friends. And even with them, I felt something missing. After I turned 16, it only got worse and I started to feel more and more lonely, to the point where I just accepted it and came to the conclusion that loneliness was just my path in life. <br><br>I'm 36 now, and the people around me are mostly the people I work with. Not friends, not really. And I'm starting to feel like a ghost floating through life, invisible most of the time, without anyplace to call my own. I don't think I've laughed out loud in over 6 months. It's just me, alone in my flat, nobody to share my live with, no change in sight. <br><br>I'm not a loner because I have to be; I'm a loner because I've always been one. And I've long accepted the fact that I won't find my missing piece in this life. But sometimes, I'm overwhelmed by the feeling of loneliness, and it's hard to keep it together, to hold back the tears and not scream at the top of my lungs. <br><br>So yeah, I'm a 36 year old man, not really sure how to navigate this world anymore, and I'm just trying to survive. <br><br>But I want to thank all of you for being here, for creating this space where people like me can feel a little less alone. I've lurked here for years, and I've never felt as if this was a community of losers, but a community of people who are struggling, and the fact that you guys are here, that you are the way you are, is a big comfort to me.<br><br>Thank you<br><br><br><br>EDIT: I'd like to say thank you to everyone who commented and reached out to me. I'm still trying to process all of it, but I'm going to try and contact some of you.<br><br>Please keep in mind that I'm still new to this approach, so please don't be angry if I struggle to talk or answer. I'm trying the best I can.